Financial Aid Timeline

October 2025

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is available to file by October 1.

We encourage you to log into your StudentAid.gov account with your FSA ID and make sure your email address is current.

If you don’t have an FSA ID yet, we recommend that you create one now. It can take up to 3 days for your account to be fully verified.

NOTE: If you are married and did not file 2024 taxes jointly with your spouse, your spouse will also need an FSA ID in order to contribute their information to your FAFSA form.

December 2025 – February 2026

Students who wish to be considered for federal financial aid in Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and/or Spring 2027 should file the 2026-27 FAFSA as early as possible.

• File online at FAFSA.gov.
• Federal school code for Lewis & Clark: 003197.
• FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline: February 15, 2026.

March – April 2026

Incoming students

• Financial aid offers will be released to admitted law students starting in late February and on a rolling basis thereafter. Incoming JD students who file the FAFSA by February 15 and are admitted by the end of March should receive a financial aid award notification by early April.
• Incoming students should submit any additional documentation that is required to complete their financial aid application no later than April 15. Log into Self-Service and navigate to the Required Documents page to see if you have any items outstanding. Documents can be securely uploaded to the L&C Financial Aid document submission portal.
• Admitted JD students who wish to attend Lewis & Clark must submit the required tuition deposit to the Office of Admissions by the deadline stated in their notice of admission.

Current students

• Current students are notified if any additional documentation is required to complete their financial aid application. Documentation should be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible but no later than April 15. Required items can be securely uploaded to the L&C Financial Aid document submission portal.
• Students planning to enroll in the Summer who wish to receive financial aid should finalize their schedules as early as possible. Summer registrants will be asked to confirm their enrollment plans so accurate financial aid offers can be prepared for them.

May 2026

Current students

• In early May financial aid offers will be released to current law students with complete financial aid applications who are registered for the Summer semester and who have confirmed their enrollment with the Office of Financial Aid.
• Loan processing deadline for students starting the 2026-27 academic year in Summer Session I: one week after receiving a financial aid offer.
  • Submit your loan requests through Financial Aid Self-Service and review the Loan Requirements checklist.
  • Grad PLUS Loan borrowers must reapply annually on StudentAid.gov to authorize a new credit check.
• For students starting in Summer Session I, refunds from financial aid will be available no earlier than the first day of classes in that session. If your enrollment begins after the first week of the session, you can expect your refund no earlier than the week of your first class.
• Current students who have secured a Federal Work-Study position for 2026-27 should submit their FWS Request Form and complete all required onboarding steps (including I-9 authorization) well in advance of their anticipated start dates.

June 2026

Notify the Office of Financial Aid of any external resources you will receive for the 2026-27 academic year.

Incoming students

• Incoming JD students who will attend Lewis & Clark must submit their second tuition deposit. Check with the Office of Admissions for the exact deadline.

Current students

• Loan processing deadline for students starting the 2026-27 academic year in Summer Session II: June 8, 2026.
  • Submit your loan requests through Financial Aid Self-Service and review the Loan Requirements checklist.
  • Grad PLUS Loan borrowers must reapply annually on StudentAid.gov to authorize a new credit check.
• For students starting in Summer Session II, refunds from financial aid will be available no earlier than the first day of classes in that session. If your enrollment begins after the first week of the session, you can expect your refund no earlier than the week of your first class.

July 2026

Incoming students

• Loan processing deadline for all incoming law students: July 1, 2026.
  • Submit your federal student loan requests through Financial Aid Self-Service.
  • StudentAid.gov steps:
    • Entrance Counseling
    • Unsubsidized Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)
  • Students who wish to borrow a private educational loan should research their options, apply with their lender of choice, and complete any additional requirements by July 1.

Current students

• Starting in July, we expect to release financial aid offers to current law students with complete financial aid applications who are registered for the Fall semester.
• The loan processing deadline for these students is one week after the release of their financial aid offer.
  • Submit your loan requests through Financial Aid Self-Service and review the Loan Requirements checklist.
  • Grad PLUS Loan borrowers must reapply annually on StudentAid.gov to authorize a new credit check.

Billing statements for Fall semester will be sent to students in mid-July. Check the Student Account Center (accessible through Self-Service) for the most current account information.

Students who wish to sign up for a monthly payment plan through Nelnet should enroll no later than mid-July.

August 2026

Make sure all steps necessary to secure financial aid are complete so that funding can be applied to your student account at the beginning of the semester.

Payment for Fall semester charges that will not be covered by financial aid is due in early August.

Familiarize yourself with Lewis & Clark’s policy on refunds and set your preferences in the Student Account Center (accessible through Self-Service). It is strongly recommended that you enroll in direct deposit to expedite access to refunds.

Earliest dates that Fall refunds from financial aid will be available:

• Incoming JD students and incoming MSL students:
  First day of Legal Methods, Intro to Environmental Legal Studies, or Intro to U.S. Legal Studies.
• Current JD students, incoming transfer JD students, current MSL students, and all LLM students:
  First day of classes in the regular Fall semester.

October 2026

The 2027-28 FAFSA will be available October 1, 2026.

November 2026

Billing statements for Spring semester charges are sent to students in mid-November. Check the Student Account Center (accessible through Self-Service) for the most current account information.

Students who wish to sign up for a monthly payment plan through Nelnet should enroll no later than mid-November.

December 2026

Payment for Spring semester charges that will not be covered by financial aid is due in early December.

January 2027

The earliest date that Spring 2027 refunds from financial aid will be available is the first day of classes.

 

* Students may process loans throughout the academic year, but meeting the deadlines included in the timeline above will ensure that your loans disburse to your student account at the earliest possible date. Unborrowed loan eligibility expires at the end of the Spring semester.